“There is something about the outside of a horse that is good for the
inside of a man.”
–Sir Winston Churchill

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Trial By Fire

Smokey and I went out eagle watching again today. Well, I went out eagle watching. Smokey was not so interested, preferring to provide constant reminders that we really should be headed back to the barn.

I shot a brief video. Skip to about 1:30.

Some folks had set up an impromptu firing range on their property just off the levee. We had passed them earlier, so I had a pretty good idea what was coming. Poor old Smokey was more startled than anything, but had no desire to hang around. When I watched the video afterward, I must confess that I got a good laugh out of watching the old boys ears going into "high speed radar" mode.

I guess Cowboy Action Shooting may not be for us.

Both of my readers may be tired of my posts about the eagles, but it's my blog, and I doubt that I will ever tire of them. Click to enlarge.

25 comments:

Wow, look at all of those eagles! I've only ever seen two together at one time...that's beautiful! It was fun to watch the video, made me feel like I was riding Smokey myself. Funny how his head got higher and higher when hearing the shots. Looks like a fun time, puts me in the mood to do some horseriding myself.

I think he did excellent. Startled? Wish my mare 'startled' like that. LOL You could only tell from his ears kicking into a higher gear. I don't think he actually changed speed or broke stride which is excellent. At one time, you didn't think team penning would be up his alley either. If you tried Cowboy Mounted Shooting, you might like it and Smokey might surprise you!

Thanks for taking me along for the ride. Having some horse difficulties right now, so I really enjoyed it. Smokey looks like a good one..he handled himself well. As for the eagles, you could post a photo of one every day. I would love it.PS You sure have lots of trees in the Pacific Northwest. It doesn't look like West Texas AT ALL! Happy New Year.

I just started following you blog. And I am enjoying the pictures and video. I briefly visited Washington state on the way to Alaska, a couple years back. I wish I could have stayed longer. That's a lot of eagles in one tree, and beats the four I saw in a tree in Alaska! Thanks for the blog, have a great day.

Enjoyed the ride with Smokey. He is ready for some fox hunting. :) The Eagles are awesome. The only ones we have around here are in cages.By the way, what was the deal with your camera man early on in the video? Honey bee, horse fly, wedgee?

Kipp: That was the moment where I nearly ended up on my noggin. Old Smokey Joe spotted the shooters, buggered up, and was on the verge of bolting. I had to spin him around to get his mind right, which is a two handed maneuver. Or, possibly a wedgee.

I love the pricked up ears thru out the clip! I wish my horse spooked as nicely as yours does. I am still sporting a dislocated finger injury from his last "spook" in November. I really hope it returns to normal soon. Lovely pony!

About Me

I'm a retired Submarine Sailor living in the Pacific Northwest. Until I retired from the Navy in 2005, I had never ridden a horse. Now my family has six of them, four Quarter Horses, and two Paint Horses. This blog will contain the trials and tribulations of one horse owning family. It may also contain any other observations, rants, raves, or whatever else I see fit.